Riding a Bike Transformed His Physical and Mental Health with Jeremy Grater

One line from his brother changed Jeremy Grater's life: decide to be the weird guy who bikes to work. For years, Jeremy saw everything through the lens of depression. Even on good days, he knew the next episode was coming. Then he hurt his knee getting out of bed. With knee replacements in his family, his physical therapist told him to ride a bike as much as possible. Jeremy complained to his brother, who told him to just own it. Jeremy bought a bike off Craigslist and started riding nine miles to work and nine miles home. The bike forced him to pay attention to right now, instead of replaying the past or dreading the future. That led him to a therapist who taught him to meditate. One change opened the next, from eating better to quitting alcohol. Today Jeremy is 70 pounds lighter. He's in the longest stretch of his life without a major depressive episode, and he credits a consistent gym routine most.

Jeremy also had to rebuild who he was. He spent 20 years in commercial radio as a talk show producer, fill-in host, and assignment editor. His doctor told him the job was killing him. Leaving it meant losing his connections and the influence that had defined him. He and his family also moved from the US to British Columbia, where they knew nobody. Jeremy tells Mike Forrester that saying your thoughts out loud helps your brain process them. Then ask who you would be if you could wake up as anyone, and act like that person. He trains for life by doing hard things on purpose, like cold plunges and heavy lifts. A bad day at work, he says, matters less after you've sat in ice water.

When life knocks you off your routine, Jeremy says to start with one thing. Go to the gym once the first week, then twice the next. Consistency means showing up wherever you can, not following a perfect schedule. Before eating out of boredom or stress, he pauses to ask why he's really at the pantry. He points out that one hour a day is about 5 percent of it, and it can change everything. His favorite picture is a gas tank. If you fill it before it hits empty, you can take your family much further. Mike admits his kids used to take the brunt of his anger when he was running on fumes. Mike teaches that who you are is separate from the roles you fill. Jeremy shows you can build a new identity on purpose. If you're a dad running on empty and snapping at your kids, pull over and fill the tank. Start with one habit you actually enjoy.

What You'll Learn In This Episode:

Recognize how depression colors the way you see your job, your family, and your future.
Understand how one small habit, like biking to work, can open the door to bigger changes.
Use "who would I be if I could wake up as anyone" to rebuild your identity after a career change.
See why doing hard things on purpose, like cold plunges or lifting, builds resilience for bad days.
Learn to get back on track after falling off your routine by starting with one thing, once a week.
Walk through why running on empty makes you snap at your kids, and how to fill your tank first.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:04:29 - how depression shapes the way you see everything

00:06:12 - how a knee injury and a bike started his turnaround

00:09:09 - the one habit that made the biggest difference

00:15:07 - what happens to your identity when you leave your career

00:18:07 - why saying your thoughts out loud helps you move forward

00:20:17 - why doing hard things on purpose builds resilience

00:22:54 - how to get back on track after falling off your routine

00:27:40 - how to stop eating out of boredom or stress

00:30:43 - why you shouldn't wait until retirement to take care of yourself

00:33:28 - how to choose which kind of pain you live with

00:37:30 - how to build healthy daily habits one at a time